Last week I wrote up a post about how the Netherlands is focusing more on its role in making the cocoa supply chain more sustainable. Through a series of national commitments, they aim to ensure that the cocoa that enters the Netherlands, which is substantial, is paying farmers a living wage and is deforestation and child labour free. 

I hope this translates into individual chocolate makers also providing more transparency into where they are sourcing their beans and the stories behind the ingredients they use. At the moment, I found many craft chocolate makers I visited in Amsterdam provided very little information about this, which is surprising given that Dutch consumers put an important emphasis on sustainability when they purchase products, including chocolate. 

Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in the number of craft chocolate makers in The Netherlands, perhaps unsurprising given how much cocoa goes through its port. One example is Urban Cocoa, founded by chocolatier Hans Mekking in 2013. They have two locations. The first is a small factory where you can watch how they produce their bars using a mix of cacao from around the world, including some single origins and even single estate bars. I instead visited their little shop downtown where you can enjoy hot chocolates, ice-cream and a range of chocolate-based treats.

While they state that they try to be as transparent as possible in the origin of their ingredients, no further details are provided to their customers (online or in store) which is a shame. They definitely have fun with their flavours including bars made with milk chocolate with smoked almonds and another made with dark chocolate and caramel sea salt dark, all beautifully packaged. There is even one made with Trinidad scorpion chilis, one of the hottest chilis in the world. The hot chocolate was nice, quite thick and decadent, and a surprisingly simple dark chocolate, especially considering all the innovative flavoured bars lining the walls. 

Verdict: From a branding perspective, transparency and sharing you story helps you grab and connect (and keep) your customer. I loved what Urban Cacao was doing, and what many other chocolate makers in The Netherlands are doing but I hope they too start to share more about the stories behind their ingredients, and why that matters. Urban Cacao, Rozengracht 200, Amsterdam, Netherlands www.urbancacao.com

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I’ve been spending a lot of time in Amsterdam lately. Well, not physically, but in spirit. As you can see from the past few posts, I have been reminiscing about my time sipping hot chocolate in Amsterdam pre Covid. A few weeks ago, I returned to Amsterdam (virtually) to attend Chocoa 2021, an event that brings together a range of stakeholders from across the cocoa supply chain to discuss sustainability issues. I’ll write up more about the issues discussed but thought I’d start by sharing just a bit of information about Amsterdam and Dutch chocolate.

Over the past few years there has been a significant increase in engagement by European countries to ensure traceability and more sustainable sourcing of cacao. While individual companies are engaged in a number of initiatives, the Dutch Initiative of Sustainable Cocoa, offers a platform for all stakeholders to work together. DISCO, as it is called, has three goals relating to the cocoa that is imported into the Netherlands from around the world. The first involves ensuring that families that have cocoa farming as their main livelihood activity and that supply cocoa to the Netherlands are earning a living income (an income that allows them to afford a decent standard of living) by 2030. The second goal is to end cocoa related deforestation in regions where the Dutch cocoa industry sources its cocoa by 2025. The final goal is to end all forms of child labour by 2025. 

These goals are significant because while other European countries have similar platforms (the Switzerland, Germany and Belgium for example), the Netherlands is the world’s largest importer of cocoa beans and second largest for processing cocoa (over 1 million metric tons of cocoa goes through the Port of Amsterdam every year which accounts for approximately 20-25% of cocoa traded globally). Most of these beans are coming from Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon, countries that face some of the more challenging sustainability issues in relation to cocoa. 

This is helping to raise awareness about the stories behind the chocolate you are likely eating. Some chocolate makers in the Netherlands are also very vocal about these important issues. One well known example is Tony’s Chocolonely, a Dutch based brand that has been selling chocolate for the past 13 years. When journalist Teun van de Keuken was working on a Dutch television programme investigating slavery in the cocoa supply chain he was so shocked at what he saw that he decided to take matters into his own hands and create this Fairtrade chocolate brand. You are likely to see these brightly coloured bars all over the city. 

Tony Chocolonely is just as much a commitment to more ethical chocolate than about the chocolate itself. Even their bars are unequally divided, reminding consumers that the profits in the chocolate industry are shared unevenly (the different pieces also represent the different cocoa growing countries across Africa).  The cocoa beans, sourced from a number of cooperatives in Ghana and Ivory Coast, are 100% slave free and they are pushing to make that the norm in the industry (although I couldn’t find anything on their site that explained what this meant or how they did it).  They believe that chocolate companies should ensure that they know where their cocoa beans are coming from, that they pay a price that enables farmers to earn a living income and run their farms, that they work together to professionalise farming cooperatives, that they ensure long term commitment to farmers.

A representative from Tony’s Chocolonely spoke during Chocoa2021 discussing the role that private labels play in sustainability in the cocoa sector. I remembered that I had a bar of Tony’s Chocolonely sitting in my chocolate drawer (the picture above is from Amsterdam, not my cupboard…but wouldn’t that be nice!). I melted it down into full milk to make a decadent hot chocolate and used the immersion blender to froth it up. It gave me the kick to stay up past midnight to listen to their presentation; and it was well worth it.

Verdict: For more on cocoa and sustainability in the Netherlands watch this short video. You can also learn more cocoa and the Port of Amsterdam here. 

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Keukenhof is the largest flower park in the world with a total of 7 million flowers. There seems to be almost as many tourists visiting as well. Regular buses leave the train station at the airport and arrive at the entrance 30 minutes later. The park is 32 hectares of flowers including a wide range of multicoloured flower beds as well as whole fields of tulips, as far as the eye can see: a total of 7 million flowers. The park, as it looks today, has been operating since 1950 although it was originally a castle garden started in dating back to the 15^th century. A lot of these flowers, but not all, are tulips because tulips love Dutch weather and the Dutch love their tulips.  Today (pre-Covid) the Netherlands produces 1.7 billion cut flowers per year which represents roughly 60% of the global trade. So flowers are no joke!

I did stop at a particularly cute looking food cart to order a hot chocolate (it was bad). This post is really just an excuse to show you the beautiful tulips. 

Enjoy!

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Note to start: This story was written up based on my experiences from a trip I made here in a pre COVID world (remember that?). Most are still open, with restrictions, but it is best to visit their website for up to date information.  I think we all need a bit of arm chair travelling at the moment so I thought I’d still share these to inspire current hot chocolates at home and future trips. Enjoy!

The first thing you should do when you arrive in Amsterdam is to walk away from the train station, far away. Cross some bridges and just get lost a little. Amsterdam, and its beautiful network of canals, is a maze of laneways lined with interesting shops, bridges, cafes and bars, many covered with tiny gardens and burst of street art. You don’t have to walk very far to get to what was one of my favourite hot chocolate stops (of many) in Amsterdam: Pampadour. 

Pampadour is a very busy little teashop. It has displays filled with pastries and perfect little desserts in the front and then a few tables up a small set of stairs for visitors to enjoy them.  There was a crowd of tourists waiting to get a seat and the staff had lost their patience with them. Given how people were acting I’m not surprised.  Tourists were almost demanding a seat (in English) even when there were none to offer. Even though there was no line, the staff were well aware of who had arrived first and were constantly having to stop newcomers from just walking up the stairs and seating themselves, which most tourists just could not understand, or were refusing to. 

The cafe seems to be named after Madam de Pompadour, the chief mistress of Louis XV, who was, as most were at the time, a huge fan of chocolate. The café itself looks like an authentic tea room from this time.  The walls are covered with red and gold wallpaper. The paneling of this shop was cut for the town hall of Mortsel in 1895 and then, 75 years later reused here. It is the kind of shop you would go to even if it had bad hot chocolates and pastries because it is so decadent looking, except its pastries and hot chocolates are very good. 

Luckily I was seated quickly but I did have to share my table because it was busy: with a 5 year old who was part of the group sitting next to me. I would never think of sitting my 5 year old with the stranger and sharing a table with my partner but hey, maybe I should do that myself next time. We chatted for a bit, the 5 year old and I, until he tried to steal part of my cake. That was the end of our short lived friendship. I know 5 year olds so I dealt with the situation while the parents chatted as if they were alone in the world. I should have asked them to pay for my drink; cheap babysitting fee.

The hot chocolate was very rich and delicious, an occasional treat worth waiting for. It had a smokey, slightly bitter taste and was a richer consistency than most of the hot chocolates I had in the Netherlands. They use Valrhona chocolate in their drinks and pastries.  It was accompanied by a little sticky cake which was tiny but delicious. I should have ordered one (or two) of their stunning desserts but didn’t so please do if you have the chance. 

Verdict: My unexpected date with someone else’s 5 year old went well enough. The cakes are and the hot chocolate is definitely worth the wait.  Pompadour, Huidenstraat 12, Amsterdam

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Entering Chocolátl is like entering a museum. It is quiet inside, everyone was whispering. The chocolate bars, all carefully selected bean to bar chocolates from around the world, are presented along the walls, a bit like paintings in a gallery. Visitors walk through, viewing the “art” as they go, starting from just right of the front door, looping around until they are back at the front door again. It is when you visit a shop like this that you get an idea of the incredible, and growing range of bean to bar chocolate options there are, and this is only a tiny selection. I scanned over them, admiring the beautiful and unique labels. 

Adil, the all knowing chocolate master of this gallery, was standing at the cash register/bar located at the back of the shop. Regulars come in, take a quick gaze around to see if anything new pops out, and then walk straight up to him to ask for recommendations. Some of them talk about chocolate as you would hear one ask about wine or cheese, “I’m looking for something darker today, fruity” or “I was just reading an article about cacao in the Dominican Republic, do you have any bars from there?”. One man came in wanting to try a 100% bar which started a big conversation that eventually involved the participation of the other 5 patrons in the shop at the time, about what makes a good 100% and that they are all, definitely, not made equal. 

I, unlike everyone else, was there for the hot chocolate. They have several options that seem to change regularly and Adil will give tasting notes on each.  Today’s choices were from Sao Tomao, Madagascar and Ecuador, the one I eventually chose. I sat on a family style wooden table at the back of the shop to drink it and thoroughly enjoyed every drop of it. Slowly as others saw me sipping (and probably smiling) they too realised they could do the same and the table was soon full.  

Chocolatl offers a range of chocolate events such as guided tastings and private sessions. They also have a subscription service where they will select bars for you every month based on your preferences. If you visit, plan some extra time to visit the Joordan neighbourhood, considered one of the city’s most photogenic areas. It wasn’t an easy spot to find, but the unexpected detours were enjoyable. I’m actually surprised at how few pictures I took so you will just have to go to see for yourself.

Verdict: A must stop in Amsterdam, for chocolate lovers (no need to be an expert). If you have any questions about chocolate, whatever it might be, you will find answers here (and a delicious hot chocolate). Chocolátl, Hazenstraat 25a, Amsterdam

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Note to start: This story was written up based on my experiences from a trip I made here in a pre COVID world. It is best to visit their website for up to date information.  I think we all need a bit of arm chair travelling at the moment so I thought I’d still share these to inspire current hot chocolates at home and future trips. Enjoy!

It takes about 30 minutes to walk from Amsterdam Central Station to the trendy De Pijp neighborhood of Amsterdam, or 15 minutes if you walk as fast as you can, as I did. Many tourists end up in this neighbourhood when they visit the very popular Heineken Experience which, I’ll admit, is pretty fun even if you don’t like Heineken (unless it has changed in the ten years since I went, there is a point where you get the chance to pretend to be a bubble escaping from a beer bottle. Whoever thought of that should be given a crown.) But few of these tourists venture around the neighbourhood, and maybe that is a good thing. The area is overflowing with cute shops, cafes, parks and very good food. 

I had scheduled a food tour for the morning (with Hungry Birds, highly recommended). I always sign up for food tours because it is an excellent way of learning more about the culture of a city and country and you get some actual food in your system between hot chocolates which is, frankly, increasingly important the more hot chocolates I drink on a trip.  I had just enough time to grab a hot chocolate before the tour started and chose nearby Scandinavian Café. Fine, not the most Dutch sounding place, but it makes most lists of best hot chocolate in the city.

I’ll say upfront that I took very few pictures (these are all from the food tour). I was just trying to blend in and look local and taking pictures of a café doesn’t exactly scream subtle. I was also in a rush, so you will just have to imagine it. It is a tiny little shop but inside it was warm and cozy. It is bright, with brick walls painted white and very minimal details (it is Scandinavian after all). There are some bar stools along the front window with a view of a park and chairs and tables all the way to the back where there is a tiny outdoor terrace. The cash and kitchen are situated along the left hand side of this narrow space, in full view and there are generous displays of Scandinavian pastries that stare at you longingly until you cave and buy one. 

I was seated on a bar stool right in front of an impossibly clean stove top (it is a very tiny place) and watched eggs Benedict whip up magically in front of me, presented beautifully on wooden boards.  Several trendy locals rocked up and settled in with their papers, as if this was their own living room. The place was full but there always seemed to be room for just one more person, just move a few chairs around and make yourself comfortable. Many of the obviously regular patrons today looked the way I think authors look; very cool and just oozing with je ne sais quoi. Funny thing about that is that I am an author and I don’t think I look like that (or maybe I do!!). Maybe it depends what you write about.  The way someone who writes about the philosophy of trees might look like, or someone who writes books about hot chocolate. I digress. 

Since everything is happening in that same, compact space you see and hear everything too, including when the staff have their friendly faces on and when they don’t which was part of my entertainment for the 15 minutes I was there. One of the staff looked a lot like a good friend of mine who lives in Canada so it took me off guard when he spoke to me as if I was a regular (you see, that not taking pictures thing worked). 

The cafe has a focus on small, niche suppliers and seasonal produce, presenting their food very simply on a plate to highlight this. This includes their hot chocolate which is made of single origin chocolate mixed with full milk.  They told me that they regularly have blind testing of chocolates for different projects and every time they end up selecting this variety of chocolate. It is a dark chocolate (75%) from a small company based in the UK called Chocolate Tree made with cocoa sourced in Northern Peru, in the village of Chililique. The company uses organic agroforestry cacao traded directly with cooperatives at origin to make these chocolate flakes. It has deep floral flavours and intense acidity and was very pleasant.  Because this is also a very good coffee spot, you also get the beautiful latte art thrown in as a bonus. I have never drunk a hot chocolate as quickly as I had this one. It isn’t a place you come to if you are in a rush and, unfortunately, I really was. It took a while to arrive, but I enjoyed every sip of it.

After this, if you aren’t taking a the food tour (you should though), head straight to Albert Cuypmarkt, the largest and most popular outdoor market in Amsterdam which usually has over 260 stalls and has been running 6 days a week since 1905. Also pass by Toko Ramee, where our food tour started, and try some really good Indonesian take out food and groceries. 

Verdict: It feels like you have entered someone’s kitchen for breakfast, a friend who is a designer and who married a chef and you think to yourself “ I need more friends like this, this is great” or you leave, as I did, thinking, “ I need to find friends that are designers/chef with cute little kitchens that will serve me beautiful hot chocolate like this and then I’ll just lounge around looking like a cool author friend of theirs”. Scandinavian Embassy, Sarphatipark 34, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

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